Chapter 627 - Omniscient First-Person’s Viewpoint

The Magocratic Federation is a land of magic, divided into the 'Chosen' who have experienced its profound knowledge and the 'Ignorant' who, unfortunately, have not received such grace. Surprisingly, the disparity between these two classes isn't as vast as one might think. Consider the nobility of the Empire. They wield limitless power, monopolizing strength and wealth while lording over the commonfolk. To the nobility, the populace is merely a foundation to elevate themselves upon. Look at the bloodlords of the Principality. They enjoy eternal life through the blood of the founder, draining the populace of both blood and wealth to satisfy their own desires. To them, humans are merely livestock to be reared. Observe the knights of the now-ruined kingdom. They use their innate martial prowess to slay the weak under the pretense of duels, fulfilling whatever they wish. To a knight, commoners are merely well-fattened prey. Compared to those who rule, drain, and hunt. The 'Chosen' are simply more rational, reasonable, and wiser citizens. And the reason is straightforward: they acknowledge that there is no inherent difference between the Chosen and the Ignorant. Were mages born as mages from the start? At birth, everyone is nothing more than a foolish beast. An infant learns language and emotions from their parents, gaining knowledge and norms from society as they grow. A child who grows up to encounter the profound knowledge of magic, and possesses the 'wisdom' to embrace it, can indeed become one of the Chosen and enjoy all that the Magocratic Federation has to offer. Does this mean the children lacking in 'wisdom' get persecuted? Not at all. The systems of the Magocratic Federation, its institutions, and magical devices are open to the Ignorant as well. It's just that the Ignorant, lacking knowledge and mana, cannot use them even if they wish to. While they may enjoy less, the Ignorant are still recognized as members of the Magocratic Federation and provided with equal opportunities for themselves and their descendants. Namely, the chance to ascend the Ladder of Ascension and access greater knowledge. "Respect those with intelligence befitting their wisdom. That's our ideology." With a snap of her fingers, the Blue Tower Lord erased the writing on the smooth crystal board in an instant. Having finished her summary, she dusted off her hands and continued. "We are unlike the primitive and barbaric monarchies. We do not oppress the people with outdated customs and old orders. The Magocratic Federation is a progressive nation built by the most brilliant minds among mages. Here, it's ability, not lineage, that distinguishes a person." 'And I am one of the top five geniuses in this Magocratic Federation.' Sensing mana, controlling mana, and possessing magical knowledge—having these qualifies anyone to become a Chosen and enjoy the civilization of the Magocratic Federation. The Blue Tower Lord continued to emphasize this point. "In other words, if you can prove your qualifications, you can stay on the Floating Fortress." "Aren't we already staying here?" "You're here because I, the Blue Tower Lord, vouched for you as important references for the Intelligence Bureau. You're bound to me; are you okay with that?" "Bound? If it's with the Blue Tower Lord, anytime. Ouch!" What was that? A gust of wind hit the back of my head! I turned to find Shei crossing her arms, pretending to know nothing. The Blue Tower Lord covered her mouth, laughing softly, and continued speaking. "Haha. However, I can't keep a flatterer Ignorant by my side forever. If things stay as they are, when the next 'Descent' happens, I'll have to send you all down." "Descent?" "The 'Descent' is when the Floating Fortress lowers its orbit to hover closer to the lower world. During that time, exchanges between the lower world and the Floating Fortress occur frequently. By principle, you too should descend from the Floating Fortress during the next Descent." Apart from being exiled, it seems impractical to just throw us out, and putting a mage to accompany us seems inefficient. So, the Blue Tower Lord explained that they let the Ignorant go during the Descending season. "But during the Descending season, the Ladder of Ascension opens. It’s a fair chance for all citizens of the Magocratic Federation—both Ignorant and Chosen—to showcase their capabilities. If you can prove your abilities there, you can confidently stay on the Floating Fortress." Considering there's more to investigate here, and Shei has business with the Demon King, being ousted would be problematic. I was hoping to rely on Lankart or the Blue Tower Lord, but with her attitude, that doesn’t seem feasible. Learning magic could be a worthy pursuit during this time, since having more skills can only be beneficial. However. "Can we really learn magic from now and pass the Ladder of Ascension?" "That's unlikely. For an ordinary Ignorant, anyway." The Blue Tower Lord answered straightforwardly. "The Floating Fortress is a place where only those among the many Chosen of the Magocratic Federation who've achieved something can set foot. Many mages dedicate their lives to magic without ever reaching the Floating Fortress. For an Ignorant to ascend the Ladder of Ascension in one sweep? That’s only possible for someone chosen among innate geniuses." 'Like me, who awakened unique magic at the age of ten and ascended to the Floating Fortress. Although my case was different since I ascended through my family’s recommendation, not the Ladder of Ascension.' ...Ah, I see. Upon reflection, it seems that mages from prestigious families who awaken unique magic ascend to the Floating Fortress without going through the Ladder of Ascension. That’s not a privilege, but a consideration to prevent mages from prestigious families from taking up the spots on the Ladder of Ascension. Dreaming of such a scenario is unimaginable for an ordinary person like me, then. While I was giving up, the Blue Tower Lord continued with a curious tone. "But Lankart did ascend the Ladder. Even though he learned magic in a militaristic country, the systems of dark and white magic differ entirely, yet he had overwhelming results." "Lankart is acknowledged as a genius even in the militaristic nation." "Honestly, it was surprising. Even though they praise a genius in such a primitive and backward country, I thought he would only be considered an intelligent savage. But he won above the renowned Chosen of the Magocratic Federation." The Blue Tower Lord murmured, recalling Lankart's ascent through the Ladder. Lankart gracefully ascended the Ladder, disregarding the despair of the 'Chosen' who slipped, as he nonchalantly reached the Floating Fortress. As if winning was nothing extraordinary. "If you, claimed as a genius by Lankart, could? Perhaps, with this brief tutelage, you might ascend the Ladder of Ascension?" 'He said you were more talented than him. If such a child receives my guidance, I wonder how far you'd go. It's purely piquing my curiosity.' Ah, so that's how it is. ...I’m sorry. I might disappoint. My humble self has rarely lived up to expectations. But there's no rule saying you have to meet expectations completely, right? An opportunity is still an opportunity. I've decided to gratefully accept it. I bowed deeply to the Blue Tower Lord. "Thank you, Master. I look forward to learning from you." "Yes. My apprentice. Listen well to what I say moving forward." The Blue Tower Lord, smiling reassuringly, took a jewel from her pocket and brandished a fountain pen. A clear blue sapphire was enveloped in a growing crystal that transformed into a blue badge. "This is the badge given to an apprentice of the Crystal Tower. With this, facilities and libraries of the Crystal Tower are freely accessible to you. Be sure not to lose it." "I’ll cherish it always." "Haha. You’ll need to work hard to ensure it doesn’t get taken away. Now, rise." The Blue Tower Lord herself pinned the badge onto my chest, then patted my shoulder with a smile once it was properly secured. This welcome is quite different from that in the military kingdom. With such a dignified and intelligent master giving me such a precious badge and teaching me, I’m sure I’ll study diligently. “And what about me?” As I was fostering my admiration, Shei interjected with an uncomfortable tone. The Blue Tower Lord turned towards Shei. “Shei, was it? Would you like to learn magic too?” “There’s nothing stopping me, is there? Hughes is learning, after all.” ‘Why does this feel irritating? What is this feeling?’ “Hmm. But…” Trailing off, the Blue Tower Lord removed the cap from her fountain pen and inserted new ink. She dipped the pen into ink marked 'Lens,' and drew five circles in midair. The crystallized ink formed into magical lenses, revealing the unseen. After peering at Shei through the magic lenses, the Blue Tower Lord spoke with a puzzled expression. “There’s nothing for me to teach you.” Surely she wasn’t implying that Shei’s intelligence was so vast that she was beyond teaching… The lens was for assessing mana. Through it, Shei appeared to possess a magnitude of mana greater than many mages. “You already possess a significant amount of mana. With that level of mana, you’re able to sense mana, right?” “…I can, yes.” ‘Thanks to the Seven-Colored Eyes, but still.’ “The basic prerequisites for a mage are mana detection, mana control, and the knowledge to use them. You meet all three. Though your system differs from ours, you can’t be called Ignorant.” Even the Green Tower Lord deemed Shei not an Ignorant. Observing someone with such mana, it’s hard to believe they could be Ignorant. The Blue Tower Lord felt the same. “Honestly, that amount of mana isn’t something you could have without learning magic.” “…Ugh.” ‘I did learn… I mean, I did…’ “If you want, I can give you a badge. But it wouldn’t be overly beneficial. Beyond a certain point, each person has to carve out their own path in magic.” “O... okay…” “Here. ” Shei was handed a blue badge as well, though slightly different from mine. This was an access pass given to visitors rather than an apprentice’s badge. Giving Shei a visitor’s badge rather than an apprentice’s one was a sign of respect. Shei accepted the badge, lost in complicated thoughts. ‘I already learned magic from you in the last iteration...!’ Oh, really? It seems the Blue Tower Lord has taken on many apprentices in the past. Well, to her, the regressor Shei must have seemed like a diamond in the rough. ‘After teaching me magic for a few months, she then said I wasn't suited to using my brain, and that I should learn to use mana intuitively! But why start from scratch with Hughes?’ Huh? It seemed she was a bit envious... but not of the Blue Tower Lord, rather, of me? Because I was chosen as her apprentice over her? Odd, it feels like I misjudged the situation. Considering how long I’ve traveled with Shei and the bond we've formed, it should be natural for her to depend on me by now. After all, with her clutching my sleeve recently, I felt convinced that she was becoming more aware of me... I was planning to play a delicate game of push and pull. Perhaps we're not at that stage yet. Without perfect mind-reading, there’s bound to be discrepancies. Partial readings seem even more hazardous. Best not to make hasty advances. To ensure Shei relies on me in the next iteration, I need to build stronger trust during this initial meeting. YW9peUx5cktZYXhyU2hzY1VsMkQ0WDFmM2pYMG9jSXd2bmN6dVNYTEdNVWRtM2luNDF6djgrbmFzcUR2N0dJSg ...I was being too calculating. Relax. Relax. Shei is sensitive, so I shouldn’t give it away. Avoid overthinking. Alright, let's start over. "So, Master. May I ask, when do the lessons begin?" The Blue Tower Lord responded with a mischievous smile. "Naturally, right now."